East End LGBT Center May Come to College

Talks on providing a support center for the area gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community are focusing in on Stony Brook Southampton as a possible permanent location.

The East End GLBT Center Advisory Committee recently met at Bridgehampton National Bank’s Bridgehampton location, and feasibility of having a center at Stony Brook Southampton was discussed. Ideally, the community center would feature two full-time staff members who would support LGBT men and women and also people who champion their cause.

Providing a center for the local LGBT community has gained urgency in recent months, as an East Hampton teenager took his own life in September, allegedly after being bullied over his sexual orientation. LGBT services are in place in Bay Shore and Garden City, but the East End is decidedly devoid of a safe space for those that identify with the LGBT movement.

While plans for the center become more concrete, the East End GLBT Center Advisory Committee is currently looking to raise $1 million to cover operating costs for three years.